Casting Off
by Hope Swings
Summary: What if the life that you're leading isn't your own, just a big game of pretend? Not your house, not your family, not your fiance? But the one thing you do know is that you belong on the sea.
1. Chapter 1

**Casting Off**

**Chapter One**

"_Papa! Look!"_

_The young girl rushed to the railing, leaning out towards the horizon anxiously, her long, black hair dancing in the wind._

"_Isn't it wonderful?" she exclaimed, whirling around to face the stately man behind her._

_But instead of her father, she found a deserted deck, splintered and desecrated, rigging and pieces of sail scattered everywhere. Stepping between the sparse remains, she made her way to the foredeck, peering into the cabin normally inhabited by her father. Destruction reigned there as well._

"_Papa?" she called hesitantly._

_There was no reply. Advancing further into the cabin, she tried again, voice rising in fear._

"_Papa? Papa where are you? Papa?"_

_Still nothing. She began to panic. Just moments ago, everything had been fine and her father and the crew had been right behind her. What had happened? Where was everyone?_

"_Papa! Papa!"_

_Her voice escalated into a wailing scream. She ran from the cabin, dashing from place to place, trying to find anyone who could tell her what had happened and where her father was. Standing in the middle of the destroyed deck, she threw her head back and screamed._

"Kagome! Kagome, wake up! Kagome!"

The obsidian-haired seventeen-year-old jolted awake. What had happened? Was all of that… a dream? It couldn't have been, it was too real. Wasn't it…?

"Kagome! Are you alright? You were screaming in your sleep. I thought you were being attacked!"

Ocean-blue eyes slid to lock on an anxious brunette with large, lavender eyes beside her. Her dark brown hair was disheveled and her face was pale in the dim light of the moon through the window. Confused, she just stared at her as she gabbed on nervously.

"Sango?" she cut in when said girl paused for breath. "What happened?"

Sango looked at her incredulously.

"Weren't you listening, Kagome? You were screaming. I thought you'd never wake up-"

"No, no," she shook her head, "What happened to Papa? And the crew and the ship?"

"Who? Are you feeling alright, Kagome?" Her hand was cool on her forehead. "You're not running a fever are you?"

Kagome shoved her hand away. What was Sango talking about? She wasn't sick or delusional!

"No, I'm fine! Papa, my father, is he alright? What happened to him?"

"Um… Kagome, you've never called your father 'Papa.' And he's fine, he's in his bedroom asleep, like every night."

"What? Well, what about the crew and the ship? They disappeared too. And the ship was destroyed…"

"Kagome, there is no ship," Sango said slowly. "There is no crew. What are you talking about?"

Kagome stared at her confused. No ship? Then how would they travel over the ocean? How were they rocking gently on the water…?

Suddenly, Kagome ran to the window and feverishly thrust the curtains away from the glass. A carefully manicured garden surrounded by a high stone wall and cobblestone street under a gloomy, grey, pre-dawn sky greeted her. All she could do was stare as the muted sounds of a city slowly waking filtered into the room.

"Where am I?" she whispered softly, resting her hand on the cool, clear surface.

Sango came up beside her and gazed out the window as well. Kagome shivered as the cold from the glass pane seeped into her hand and traveled up her arm. But she didn't pull away. The icy shock was welcomed for proving to her this was real and not just a dream.

"-port," Sango's voice said softly.

"Huh?" Kagome turned slightly to face the older girl.

"You're in Saltport. You've lived here your whole life, Kagome. And in a month, you are to marry Mr.Houjou. Don't you remember?"

Kagome just shook her head. This wasn't right. She didn't remember any of this. The last thing she remembered was being on her father's destroyed ship all alone. How had she ended up in Saltport? Weren't they headed for the Indies? Nothing made any sense.

"Sango, how is the mistress?"

Sango sighed as she set the tray of dirtied dishes down in the water and sud-filled basin.

"She won't come out of her room and keeps mumbling about a ship and 'the Indies.' I'm really starting to worry."

"Shouldn't we tell the master?"

"No, the master knows nothing and it will stay that way. We can't have Miss Higurashi being labeled as a lunatic. Just act as if nothing's wrong. As far as you all are concerned, Miss Higurashi just has a chest cold."

Sango pinned them all with a hard stare, daring any of them to speak out against her orders. They all just lowered their gazes and nodded silently. Miss Higurashi was a good mistress and treated them fairly, unlike her father. None of them would wish anything bad upon her. Ever.

The bell began ringing and Sango quickly fled the room to attend to any of one of the Higurashis. The other servants returned to their work, filling the kitchen with life and noise once more. Miss Higurashi's episode would pass and life would resume as normal, as if nothing happened. It was just a phase; like everything else, it too would pass.

"You rang, Sir?" Sango queried, opening the door to Master Higurashi's study.

"Where is my daughter? I wish to see her."

The man seated behind the large oak desk didn't even look up from the document he was perusing to acknowledge her presence. Sango swallowed nervously and fished for words. How was she going to tell him his daughter was… running off her nut?

"Well… You see, Sir, Miss Higurashi is, um, not… feeling well, you see and-"

"Don't give me excuses!" he bellowed, finally looking up with cold, yet smoldering in fury, grey eyes, that resembled pewter, just angry pewter.

"Where is my daughter?"

"In her bedroom, Sir," Sango said quietly, staring down intently at the worn, swirling grains of the wood floor.

Mr.Higurashi stood up from his desk and strode to the door, sweeping past the young servant. Sango jumped and raced after him, vaulting up the heavily carpeted stairs to keep up with his long strides.

"Sir, I wouldn't go in there! Miss Higurashi isn't feeling well and wishes to be alone. It's a horrible chest cold-"

The door to the delusional teenager's bedroom was thrust open, despite her warnings and the master of the house strode into the center. Sango stumbled in after him and peered around his large frame. Her eyes widened at what she saw.

Kagome Higurashi, the oldest child of the very influential man before her, was sitting on the windowsill, still in her nightgown, studiously perusing a large tome. When her father had burst in, she had looked up surprised and set her book aside. The strangest part, though, was that she looked perfectly sane. 'Wha-?'

"Good morning, Father," The raven-haired youth said calmly. "What are you doing here so early? I'm not even dressed yet."

Mr.Higurashi cleared his throat in slight embarrassment and glanced at the girl standing stunned behind him. Sango's insides were trembling and she remained rooted to the spot. She was in deep –

"Well, I needed to speak to you. Unfortunately, one of the servants told me that you weren't leaving your bedroom or feeling well. I simply came up here to check up on you and make sure it wasn't anything serious."

"Oh, well, no. I wasn't feeling very well earlier, but I'm much better now. Thank you for taking such good care of me, Sango," she directed to the stunned brunette behind her father.

"Y-you're welcome, Miss…" Sango managed to stutter.

Kagome smiled conspiratorially. Sango had to do a double-take to catch the glint in her mistress's brilliant blue eyes. Folding her pale, slender hands demurely, Kagome turned to her father expectantly.

"So, Father, what was it you wished to speak with me?"

Mr.Higurashi blinked and shook his head at her voice. His posture relaxed a bit at her eager expression and light tone. It was almost as if he was coming out of a trance. Waving his hand in dismissal, he turned around towards the door while Sango quickly jumped out of the way.

"Oh, nothing too important. We'll discuss it later. Try to feel better," he said over his shoulder.

And with that, Mr.Higurashi left, his heavy footsteps lingering in the hall. Once those too died down and grew fainter with the distance, Sango exhaled, all the air held in her lungs in his presence expelled in one deep sigh and her shoulders sagged. Kagome just giggled from her perch on the sill.


	2. Chapter 2

**Casting Off**

**Chapter two**

_Okay, so listen, the second half of **Chapter One** somehow was erased when I uploaded the story. I'm terribly sorry about the mistake and I'm fairly upset that that happened. So here's the second part, I hope it's not too confusing for anyone._

_And I'm only doing one of these, so pay attention!_ _**Disclaimer: **All of the characters in this fictional story are not my own. They are all plucked from the manga/anime, _Inuyasha,_ which, is also not of my creation._

_**Chapter One (continued) – ** _

And with that, Mr.Higurashi left, his heavy footsteps lingering in the hall. Once those too died down and grew fainter with the distance, Sango exhaled, all the air that was subconsciously held in her lungs in his presence expelled in one deep sigh and her shoulders sagged. Kagome just giggled from her perch on the sill.

"You owe me, Sango," she chirped, hopping down to disappear behind the vanity partition.

"What? Do not!" Sango exclaimed, setting about straightening the bed.

"Yes, you do! I'm the one keeping you in commission right now."

"That's not true! I'm a valuable asset to this household because of my loyalty and hard work, thank you very much!" Sango huffed, hands on hips, elbows akimbo.

Kagome just laughed and emerged in her undergarments, struggling with her corset. Sango moved to assist her, expertly lacing and tightening with each swift jerk.

"Whatever you say, Sango," the young mistress sang brightly.

Sango just rolled her eyes and continued with her task. Kagome winced with every tug as the corset tightened and compressed her ribcage, making breathing nearly impossible. 'Blasted contraption…'

"So 'Mistress,' seeing as how your in your right mind, what was this morning about?" Sango asked lightly, shaking out the seventeen-year-old's dark green velvet and satin morning gown.

"What do you mean 'right mind?' Because I was definitely not in my left mind earlier," Kagome queried as the garment was slipped over her head and laced up as well.

"Could've fooled me," Sango muttered under her breath.

Kagome whirled around and pegged her with a smoldering look.

"Sango, I don't know what you are trying to get at, but you had better stop it right there!" she snapped, face coloring in anger and frustration.

"Kagome, you were going on about a ship and crew this morning, not listening to reason! You were obviously not in your 'right mind!'" Sango replied, her own temper flaring in return.

The room seemed to crackle from the tension as the pair glared at each other. It was suffocating and they were both breathing hard, shoulders rising and falling with each ragged breath, hands in fists.

"I'm perfectly sane, Sango. There's nothing wrong with me," Kagome said in a low, strained voice.

Sango just shook her head and sighed, moving to finish tying and setting her mistress to rights with not a hair out of place. Kagome was still tense and stiff under her careful scrutiny but Sango just ignored it. When she was finished, she stepped back and swept over the noble and proud young woman with her eyes critically, looking for anything that was amiss. Finding nothing out of sorts, Sango nodded and turned for the door.

"I am sorry, Kagome," she said softly over her shoulder. "I was out of line and I apologize."

With that said, she quietly exited the room, leaving Kagome alone in the large room, staring after her. When her footsteps faded, Kagome let out a shaky breath and sank down onto the large, freshly-made four-poster bed, cradling her head in her hands. When she finally lifted her head to stare at the opposite wall, her eyes reflected the color of the sea just before a storm, emotions swirling in their bluish-grey – almost an eerie, murky green – depths.

_So that should get you all caught up before we continue. And without further ado, **Chapter Two!**_

Sango had been working in the Higurashi household for about ten years, or ever since she was eight years old. She and her younger brother had been orphaned when their widowed father had died of pneumonia. Her four-year-old brother, Kohaku had been a sickly child and the job of supporting them had fallen on the seven-year-old. They had lived on the streets and Sango worked as a scullery maid. But her meager salary wasn't enough and they had to resort to thievery. As the year progressed, her brother just became sicker and sicker. He died of consumption later that year and Sango was all alone.

Going from job to job, place to place, Sango barely managed to scrape by. There was never enough food or clothes or the warmth or a home and family. Sango was on the verge of death herself when a young Kagome and her governess, Kaede, found her on their morning stroll.

Kagome was bundled up in expensive furs and coats and happy, skipping about the elderly woman on the snow-laden walkway in the local park. Sango had been huddled at the base of a statue, shivering in her threadbare dress and delirious with fever. She remembered a smiling, black-haired girl in a fur-lined coat stooping over her and peering at her face with large, innocent, blue eyes.

The next thing she knew, she was waking up in a soft, warm bed with cool, soft hands the size of a child's gently stroking her face. At first, she had thought she'd died in the park beneath the statue and was now being attended to by angels in Heaven. But that train of thought quickly evaporated when something fell and shattered, erupting in a loud crash and a soft curse, spoken with a slight, childish lisp, quickly followed by a stern reprimand.

The hands fell away and Sango opened her eyes. She was in a large, burgundy-colored room, lying in a large, four-poster bed with a goose-feathered mattress and down comforter, propped up on white, feathered pillows. A small, petite girl with obsidian-black hair in a white frock with a blue satin sash and an old woman with long, grey hair and an eye patch were cleaning up the remaining shards of a small, porcelain pitcher lying in a puddle, quickly seeping into the carpet. The two had obviously been the ones attending to her before she'd fully woken up. The scene made her almost wish it _was_ a dream so that she wouldn't be too disappointed when they booted her out once they saw that she was awake. Almost.

Suddenly, the girl jumped up and whirled to face the bed. Sango quickly scrunched her eyes closed and tried to give off the impression that she was still asleep. The girl saw right through it and hopped up on the bed.

"I'm Kagome! What's your name?" she asked eagerly, bouncing up and down on her knees.

Sango just squeezed her eyes shut tighter and tried to discreetly sink further into the pillows and cover. The girl, Kagome, just continued to bounce and ask questions. Question after question after question tumbled from her lips faster and faster with each one.

"What's your favorite color? Do you like to play checkers? Why were you under the statue at the park? How old are you?"

"Kagome," the old woman cut her off in a gravelly voice. "Why don't we leave this girl alone to rest? You can come back later and play with your new friend when she's feeling better."

"But Kaede!" Kagome whined.

"No 'buts.' Now come on."

Kaede guided the girl off the bed and out of the room. Once the door closed, Sango opened her eyes again. Her eyes widened once more in wonder at the large room and the magnitude of everything. It all looked so rich and expensive! How in the world had she ended up in this place?

Every day she spent there, Kagome would come and visit her, mostly just talking. Sango was too weak to play but she never talked back and every day, Kagome would leave, saddened that her new friend wouldn't talk to her. But she still came back every day and tried again, leaving later a bit more disheartened with every day. Sango didn't much like giving the poor girl the cold shoulder but what could she do? She didn't want to become friends and care about Kagome because she was afraid that she, like everyone else she'd loved would be taken away as well. Plus, what if the second she was well, she was thrown out on the streets again? It was just best to steel her heart and not get her hopes raised.

After about a month of getting well and gaining strength and ignoring Kagome's attempts at friendship, Sango was finally in good health. She was prepared to leave at any moment – there weren't really any good-byes to be said and she didn't have anything to pack. But still, they did not ask or force her to leave. With every day that passed, the smallest amount of hope began to grow in her small, thin frame. Try as she might to suppress it, it just grew and grew uncontrollably. The day she finally played with Kagome under the watchful eye of Kaede, she knew she was past saving.

Suffice to say, Sango never left and became a servant to the family, free to do as she pleased. She grew up with Kagome and Souta, Kagome's little brother, and became best friends with her 'mistress.' Over the years their friendship flourished and they'd become nearly inseparable, almost like the same person residing in two bodies.

This was why it pained her so much to see her best friend act so unlike her usual self and be in an argument about it. They were both stubborn and unwilling to admit the other was at fault and when trying to avoid the other, it wasn't the best thing to live and work in the same house and accustomed to spending so much time together. But Sango felt guilty and if it weren't from her pride and servant work, she probably would have gone straight to Kagome's bedroom to beg forgiveness and try to make up. But Kagome hadn't approached her and she figured she needed the time alone and didn't want to confront the sometimes temperamental young woman.

After about a week of avoiding her mistress and allowing other servants to attend to her, Sango was even more on edge than ever. Kagome was never really one to hold a grudge and as the week progressed, it had gotten harder and harder to avoid her. But finally, Kagome cornered her in the small courtyard, hanging laundry out to dry. She'd come up behind her so silently, Sango had shrieked in fear at the sudden hand that had magically descended upon her shoulder.

"What's a pretty thing like you doing out here all by yourself?" a dark, cold voice tickled her ear, the hand holding her in place, not allowing her to step out of its grasp or turn around.

"I-I… I," Sango gulped, stammering for words.

There came a lilting laugh from behind her and the hand released her shoulder. Turning around, she saw a giggling Kagome, bent at the waist and clutching her sides.

"Oh, you should've seen your face!" she cried, bursting into fresh peels of laughter.

Sango just raised an eyebrow, hands on hips. After a moment, she shook her head and turned back to her work with a roll of her eyes. Kagome's giggles died down and Sango glanced over her shoulder. Her young mistress had seated herself on an empty overturned laundry basket.

"So, why've you been avoiding me?" she enquired casually, staring off at the breeze-blown lines of laundry that gave the courtyard an ethereal feel.

Sango turned and faced her, studying her expression, looking for a sign, any sign at all, as to how she should answer that question. It came in the form of the stormy blue eyes swirling with emotions, betraying her cool façade. They were troubled and confused; haunted and sad; eyes of someone who'd seen too much in her short life; someone who'd forgotten who she was, where she was, and why she existed. Staring into those unfocused eyes sent a shiver up Sango's spine.

Sighing, Sango turned an empty laundry basket upside-down and seated herself. Kagome turned and fixed her gaze on the girl in front of her. Drawing in a deep breath, Sango forced herself to meet her eyes, not because she was ashamed, but because of the emotions those eyes told of and the strange shallowness to their equally strange empty depths.

"I don't really know," Sango finally admitted. "I thought I'd give you time to figure things out and cool down and me time to cool down and… I don't know."

Looking away, she sighed again and closed her eyes. Why was she making this so hard on herself? Why couldn't she just be honest about what she was thinking? What _was_ she thinking? There was a long pause as both were silent, not looking at the other, Finally, Kagome sighed and stood up, dusting off her skirts.

"Well, I think that was enough time to cool down for the both of us. And I'm sorry about whatever I said." Looking away again, she rocked on her heels. "So, want to go into town? I think I overheard one of the servants say we needed more flour and cheese and… snuff?"

Sango grinned and stood up as well.

"You need to stop listening to the servants around here. The house is fully stocked and no one needs snuff around here anyway. But I'd love to go into town."

"Are you sure? You said not to listen to any of the servants around her,." Kagome teased, grinning slyly.

"You know what I mean!" Sango cried, rolling her eyes in exasperation.

"I know!" Kagome beamed. "I'll be right back. Meet me in the kitchen!"

And with that, Kagome spun around and scampered off. Sango just shook her head at her mistress's retreating form. Kagome was one amazing girl, she'd give her that.

CO

Every since Sango could remember, Kagome loved to pretend she was other people. But she didn't dress up in her nicest clothes and her mother's jewelry and pretend she was a princess. Frequently she would play servant, expertly disguising herself to the point that no one noticed she was an extra servant and Kaede and Sango would be pulling their hair out in worry of the lost mistress. Sometimes she would dress up in men's clothes and go gallivanting over town with the other hooligan boys, snatching trinkets from carts, sword fighting with sticks in the streets, and running after carriages and wagons whooping and hollering. The funny thing was, she had quickly become their beloved leader, until Kaede found her disguise and forbade her from ever sneaking out in those clothes again. Other times, Kagome would drag Sango around town as regular girls. Which was why Sango wasn't surprised in the least when the young woman came down dressed in a dress and cap similar to hers.

Of course, the girls were "sneaking out." It'd become easier ever since Kagome had come out and she had surpassed her governess. She'd been sad to see the old woman go and had missed her terribly, but she was basically able to do whatever she wanted now that Kaede and her creepy ability to know everything she was doing was gone. Since her mother had died giving birth to her younger brother, as many women do, and her father was too busy with his trading company, no one really noticed the two were missing, except the servants who knew all and watched them leave through the kitchen door of course.

They frequented the back stairs and the kitchen's back door since going out the front door would be too obvious. And because the back stairs lead straight into the kitchen and servants' quarters, all the servants knew about their escapades. But all of them were sworn to secrecy and kept their promises; some actually even helped with sneaking out if the task was particularly tricky.

So it really wasn't a surprise to the other servants either when Kagome skipped down the back stairs in servants' clothing, a wide smile on her face. Nodding to the occupants of the kitchen, she grabbed Sango's arm and rushed out the door. Many of the older servants shook their heads at their mistress's antics while the others just waved after them as they passed through the vegetable garden and slipped through the back gate.

Once they'd gotten outside the gate and onto the street, both girls erupted in giggles, leaning against each other for support. Quickly recovering, they hurried down the street and toward the wharf to "mingle with the commoners." All the tension that had built up between them over the past week had just melted away and they were able to enjoy the other's company in their hour or so of freedom. But then Sango noticed a very familiar carriage heading for the Higurashi estate.

"Oh no," she breathed, staring wide-eyed at the receding carriage.

"Sango? What's wrong?" Kagome asked hesitantly, glancing between her companion and the crowded street.

"We have to go back home," Sango said, shaking her head to clear it and get back to the matter at hand. "Your fiancé is coming for a visit and if you're not there…"

She left her statement hanging, letting her mistress absorb and digest what she meant. Grimacing, Kagome grabbed her hand and raced down the street, cutting through alleys and back ways before the carriage did. If that carriage arrived and she wasn't there, she was as good as dead.


End file.
